Grate bar



Oct. 25, 1932. J. 5. THOMPSON GRATE BAR Filed March 28, 1930 I l 1 I ll fi 0 y Ii: 3

Li W

INVENT R ATTORNEY;

rnoMrsoiv, or new ROCHELLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO FIREBAR CORPO- JAMES s. s

Barron, or CLEVELAND, 0310, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE attention.

Patented Oct. 25, 1932 lA-TE'NT cFFI E GBATE BAR 7 Application filed March 28, 1930. Serial No. 439,685.

This invention relates to grates of the type used in locomotives, narine boiler furnaces and for other heavy duty purposes. More specifically, the invention is concerned with a grate bar which contains numerous features of novelty by virtue of which the bar makes possible better distribution of air to the fuel, resulting in increased combustion .efiiciency, higher fire box temperatures, absence of clinkering, etc. The new grate-bar is also constructed in such manner that its weight is substantially lower than bars of present standard construction used under the-same conditions. The advantages ofthe new .bar are not confined to any particular use but it will be described in an adaptation suitable for use in locomotives, with the understanding that such form is merely illustrative.

WVith the increasingly heavy demands that have been made on .motivepower by ,railroadsin the last few years, locomotives have increased insizeand weight and the latter hasbeen added .tobythe installation of such appliancesdas feed water heaters, superheaters, etc. Theefficiency of the boiler has been improvedby this additional equipment, but thefundamental problem of burning thefuel has not received a proportionate amount of As a consequence, while the utilization and conservation of the heat units liberated ,by combustion have been placed on a more efficient basis, no improvements of considerable importance in the ,mechanism for burning thefuel havelbeen developed.

The grates now used in locomotives are not substantially differentfrom those which werein use many years ago, but as larger locomotives have been built, the grates have been made correspondingly larger. This increase in size of the grates .has resulted in the use of-larger and heavier grate bars and grate frames, until in some-instances, the limit ofweight of the locomotive imposed by the strength of bridges, road bed, etc. has been closely approached.

cGrate bars have heretofore ordinarily been made ofcast'iron and in an attempteto cut-down the vweightof'the grate, some railroads have beguntoemploy steel grate bars and frames. Such grates, while satisfactory so far as weight is concerned, are objectionable otherwise because of the tendency of the ,rected to the provision of a grate bar which I affords better combustion than bars now in common useand which is much lighter in weight per unit of surface area. This new bar includes removable fuel-supporting units which are ventilated in such manner that burning out is prevented, since the bar is thoroughly cooled in all parts during operation, the ventilation being achieved coincident with the lightening of the weight. The bar includes numerous other features of novelty which will be readily apparent in the detailed description to follow.

F or a better understanding of the invention, reference may be hadto the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a transverse sectional view of the new grate bar;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the new bar;

Fig. 3 isa sectional view of the fuel-supporting unit on the line 33 of Fig. 1, and I 7 Fig.4: is a view in side elevation of a portion of the bar.

The bar comprises a carrier member which includes a longitudinal web 10 having a strengthening rib 11 extending downward from its under surface, and aflange 12 extending lengthwise of the web along the top thereof. At each end the carrier member has an upward flange 13 from which projects the'usual trunnion 14.

. Mounted on the carrier member are fuelsupp-orting units 15, each of which comprises aplate 16 from opposite. faces of which project lugs 17. The lugs arespaced apart to define air channfelslS between them'andthe channels extend from the outer face 19 of each lug to the face of the plate 16.

The lugs are hollow and a pair of lugs in registry on opposite sides of the plate 16 to gather form a box-like structure, the bottom of which. is open. The plate 16 extends across the open bottom of this box, as illustrated more clearly in Fi 3 and air may enter the structure from below through the. opening 20. Preferabqy the end of each lug is formed with a passage 21 extending from top to bottom thereof, this passage su b-dividing the lug into.

two parts permitting the flow of air upwardly to the fuel supported on the unit. Through the top of each unit is formed an air exit opening 522 which leads from the interior of the box to tne upper surface thereof and provides for the flow of air upwardly from the interior of the he" to fuel carried thereby.

In order to a?! d better distribution of the air and thereby to bring about a more eilicient combustion of the fuel, the fuel-supporting surface of the unit may be sub-divided into a plurality of small fuel-supporting areas. The latter may conveniently be formed providing the top 'of each lug and the top of the plate 16 with upwardly extending projections 23 separated by intersecting air channels 24-. and 25. Tn. the construction illustrated, each part of each lug carries a group of four projections 23 and a pair of another group 26, two projections of the group 26 lying above the lug and the other projections of this group lying above the plate. The projections of the outer group on the half lug and the projections of the inner group are separated by an air channel 27 of somewhat greater width t ran the channels 24- and 25. hannels 25 communicate with the passage 19 between the two parts of the lug and with a passage 18, between adjacent lugs. The channel 27 communicates with similar passages. Along the top of the plate 16 is an air channel 28 into which the exit opening leads. With the arrangement described, it will be seen that the fuel-supporting surface of the unit, which is made up of the tops of the lugs and the top of the plate, is subdivided by the various air channels into a multiplicity of small areas, each of which is cooled by air flowing on all sides thereof. The fuel on the areas is thus in contact with only a small amount of dead surface and the fuel is thus burned more effectively than is possible with grate bars in which the air openings are of large size and are separated by solid portions of the bar of substantial width.

By constructing the lugs in the form of hollow boxes, the bar is made lighter in weight and at the same time the metal is maintained cool and burning out is thus prevented. Also, air which flows up through the boxes reaches the fuel lying above the middle of the unit and more effective com- Les 1,91 7

bust-ion is thus obtained. It has been found in practice that in a bar of this construction in which the fuel-supporting surface is subdivided into many small areas, the fuel is consumed into fine ash and by forming the air channels so that their bottom surfaces slope downwardly and outwardly, as indi cated at 29 in Fig. 3, the ash may slide down through the air channels to the air passages and thence fall into the ash pan.

In the bar illustrated, the units are mounted loosely on the carrier member, each unit having a recess 30 formed in the plate, the shape of this recess corresponding generally to the cross-section of the carrier member. At the mouth of each recess, there are inwardly extending lugs 31, the distance between which is only slightly greater than the overall width of the carrier member. The recess 30 is shaped to receive the flange 12 freely and the plate rests on the surfaces 32 of the carrier member on each side of the flange. The carrier member is provided with the usual shaker arm 33 and when the member is shaken, the weight of the fuel on the fuelsupporting units tends to maintain them stationary, the carrier member rocking about one or the other of the points 34 as a pivot. For example, when the carrier member is rocked by movement of the shaker arm to the left (Fig. 1), the carrier member rocks about the left-hand pivot point 34. The sur face 32 of the web at the right-hand end of the latter moves away from the wall of the recess in the plate 16. When the carrier member is rocked back, the right-hand supporting surface 32 strikes the corresponding wall of the recess in the plate a sharp blow and this jar has a tendency to shake the finely divided ash free from the fuel bed. In use, the grate may be kept clean without any substantial shaking of the bars, a slight movement of each carrier member back and forth serving to jar the fuel-supporting units to the extent suficient to free the ash from the fuel bed.

Since the lugs 31 are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the overall Width of the web, the fuel-supporting units may be placed on the carrier member by a vertical movement and as readily removed therefrom should occasion arise. The lugs, how ever, serve as a locking means for keeping the units from displacement from the carrier member, since relative movement of the carrier member and unit causes one or the other of the lugs to pass beneath the adj acent end of the web of the carrier member, thus preventing dislodgment of the unit from the member.

In installing the new bar, the carrier member is first inserted in the grate frame in the ordinary manner and thereafter the units are placed in position on it. These units, while resting loosely in position, are kept separated the proper distance by means of spacing projections 35 formed on the outer ends of certain of the lugs 17.

While the fuel-supporting units are illustrated as removable from the carrier bar, it will be evident that they may be made integral with the carrier bar, or locking arrangements other than those described may be employed.

The new bar may be made of cast iron or of steel as may be desired. In either instance, the bar is substantially lighter than a bar of standard construction made of similar material, by reason of the lugs being hollow and of the formation of'the numerous air channels and air passages through the bar. The ventilation of the bar provided by the various passages and channels for air insures that all parts of the bar will be kept cool in operation and at the same time provides a better distribution of air resulting in more eflicient combustion.

What I claim is:

1. A grate bar which comprises a carrier member, and fuel-supporting units extending beyond the side edges of said member, each unit comprising a plate, a plurality of spaced lugs projecting from the faces of said plate near the top thereof, each lug being hollow and having an open bottom, opposed lugs on opposite faces of said plate lying in registry and having their hollow interiors in communication.

2. A grate bar which comprises a carrier member, and fuel-supporting units extending beyond the side edges of said member, each unit comprising a plate, a plurality of spaced lugs projecting from the faces of said plate near the top thereof, each lug being hollow and having an open bottom, opposed lugs on opposite faces of said plate lying in registry and having their hollow interiors in communication, and air passages leading upwardly from the interiors of said lugs.

3. A grate bar which comprises a carrier member, and fuel-supporting units each extending beyond both the side edges of said member, each unit comprising a plate, a row of spaced lugs projecting from each face of said plate, the lugs of the two rows lying in registry, the lugs between them defining air passsages for upward flow of air and each lug having an air passage leading from bottom to top thereof formed in its outer face.

4. A grate bar which comprises a carrier member, and fuel-supporting units each extending beyond both the side edges of said member, each unit comprising a plate, a row of spaced lugs projecting from one face of said plate, said lugs being hollow and open at the bottom, adjacent lugs defining passages for upward flow of air and each lug having a similar passage formed in its outer face, and

' a multiplicity of fuel-supporting projections lying above said lugs, said-projections being separated by air channels.

5. Agrate bar which, comprises; a. carnier member, and fuel-supporting units each ex: tendingbeyond; both the sideedges. of said member, each unit comprising'a plate, arow. of spaced lugs projectinglfrom. at least one face of said plate, adjacent lugs. defining pas= sagesfor the upward flowof-air between them and each lug having an air passage formedgin its outer face.

6. A grate bar which comprises. a carrier member, and: fuel-supporting units each: extending beyond both the side edges of said member, each unitv comprising a plate, and a row of spaced lugsextending from atleast one face of said plate, adjacent lugs defining between them a passage for upward flow of air and each lug being-"formed with a similar passage in its outer face, each. lug being hollowv and: open at the bottom and having an air exit opening; at the top.

7'. A grate bar which comprises acarrien member, and fuel-supporting units each. ex-. tending beyond both. the side edges of said member, each unit comprising aplate having a row of spaced lugs-extending from at least one face thereof near the top, eachlughaving. its upper surfacesub-divided by horizontal air channels into a plurality of small fuelsupporting surfaces, the outer face of each lug being formed with a passage for upward flow of air, said passage communicating with certain of said channels and adjacent lugs defining between them a passage for upward flow of air, said passage being in communication with certain of said channels.

8. In a grate bar, a fuel-supporting unit which comprises a plate, a row of spaced lugs projecting from said plate along one face thereof, adjacent lugs between them defining a passage for upward flow of air, each lug being hollow and having an opening at its lower end for intake of air and a top opening for outlet of air, each lug being formed with an air passage in its outer face.

9. In a grate bar, a fuel-supporting unit, which comprises a plate, a row of spaced lugs projecting from one face of the plate near the upper edge thereof, adjacent lugs between them defining a passage for upward flow of air, each lug having a similar passage in its outer face.

10. In a grate bar, a fuel-supporting unit comprising a plate, a row of spaced lugs projecting from one face of the plate, each lug being hollow and having an open bottom, a second row of spaced lugs projecting from the other face of the plate, the lugs of said second row being hollow and having an open bottom, the lugs of the two rows being in registry and registering lugs having their hollow portions in communication, said plate having air exit openings between registering lugs communicating with the hollow interiors thereof.

11. In a grate bar, afuel-supporting unit comprising a plate, a row of spaced lugs projecting from one face of said plate, each lug being hollow and having an open bottom in communicating with an air exit opening formed in the top of said plate, and a plurality of fuel-supporting projections extending upwardly above said lugs and separated by air channels.

12. In a grate bar, a fuel-supporting unit which comprises a plate, a row of spaced lugs projecting from one face of the said plate, and a row of spaced lugs projecting from the other face of said plate, the lugs of the two rows being in registry, each lug being hollow and having an open bottom, the hollow interiors of opposed lugs being in communication, said 1plate having air exit openings each of whic communicates with the hollow interiors of a pair of opposed lugs, adjacent lugs defining an air passage between them and each lug having an air passage formed in its free end, and a plurality of fuel-supporting projections lying above said lugs and separated by air channels communicating with said passages.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JAMES S. THOMPSON. 

